Recreational vehicles such as boats and travel trailers are typically stored outdoors when not in use. Often, a cover is placed over the entire vehicle to protect it from elements of the weather such as rain, snow, sleet, ultraviolet rays, heat from direct sunlight, as well as dirt and dust from the outside air. In this regard, a simple cover is quite effective and yet an inexpensive alternative to indoor storage. In the prior art, the covers can comprise canvas, plastic, and other generally non-porous materials. Obviously, a non-porous cover functions very well for its intended purpose. Neither dirt nor rain can penetrate the non-porous material, and as a result, the recreational vehicle is relatively well protected when not in use.
One problem with using a porous or non-porous cover to protect a vehicle is moisture and mildew resulting from condensation and other sources of moisture. In an entirely non-porous cover, the condensation, in the form of moisture, is trapped inside the cover where it can penetrate every unsealed surface of the covered vehicle and every electrical, mechanical, and fabric component in the vehicle. The trapped moisture is more damaging than the vehicle being left uncovered. An uncovered vehicle can dry out, but a covered vehicle with moisture trapped therewithin does not dry out, and the vehicle is continuously exposed to the moisture, which over a shortened period of time can cause a significant amount of damage.
The newer, breathable prior art materials allow some of the trapped moisture to escape, but not completely. Even with the breathable materials, moisture remains trapped inside the cover for a longer period of time than it would if the cover were removed and the vehicle allowed to air dry. It is to be noted that the moisture problem is not necessarily exclusive to the outdoors. Indeed, indoor storage, for example, where the air is not conditioned or otherwise dry, can experience high humidity. In such an environment, the moist air can damage a covered object or vehicle by becoming trapped under the cover.
In a commonly owned U.S. patent issued to Gridley (U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,631) on Sep. 6, 2005, the applicant disclosed a new apparatus for venting a cover covering a vehicle. Such a ventilation apparatus is configured so that air can freely pass in and out of the space inside of the cover. Applicant disclosed an improved ventilation and support device in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,069,870 and 8,220,474 issued to Gridley on Dec. 6, 2011, and Jul. 17, 2012 respectively. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,938,631, 8,069,870, and 8,220,474 are hereby incorporated by this reference for all that they disclose for all purposes.
While the applicant's prior art ventilation apparatus works well for its intended purposes, novel improvements to the apparatus have been developed and are disclosed herein.
One improvement relates to the shape of the ventilation apparatus to improve the fitment of the ventilator with a cover. Yet another improvement relates to providing a suspension interface to assist in storage in an unused cover as well as providing support while the ventilation apparatus is associated with a cover being used to cover a vehicle. A still further improvement relates to a ventilator support structure improvements including a swivel interface. Additional features are provided by combining the various new improvements.